Jama Sets School Record, Leads Mercer Men at JSU

Saturday, October 1

Jacksonville, AL

Mercer University

Jacksonville State Foothills Invitational

Jama Sets School Record, Leads Mercer Men at JSU

10/1/2016 8:21:00 PM | Men's Cross Country

OXFORD, Ala. – Two races in, Ahmed Jama is proving he can run with the best. A week removed from his individual 8K victory at the Julius Johnson Invitational, Jama set the 8K school record Saturday in the JSU Foothills Invitational to finish first overall among Division I runners with a time of 24:57.2.

Jama's record-breaking time helped the Mercer men's cross country team place fifth among six teams in the Red Division (NCAA Division I schools) with a total time of 2:14:16. Six other Bears finished in the top-40 of the Red Division, including Michael Rowlands (27:03.5), Cameron Gatt (27:10.3), Abraham Balawi (27:32.3), Mac Power (27:33.0), Mark Brannen (27:35.3) and Justin Hanson (28:08.5).

Jama's 8K time broke the former school record of 25:14.19, set in 2012 by Lukas Steinheber. It was one of many accomplishments for Mercer on Saturday, as the men combined with the women's team for 11 personal records and 14 season-best finishes.

Team-wise, Mercer was bested by champion Chattanooga (2:07:09), Georgia Tech (2:08:53), Troy (2:09:36) and Austin Peay (2:11:03). The Bears placed ahead of host Jacksonville State (2:16:43). For full results from the JSU Foothills Invitational, click here.

UP NEXT
The Bears will compete next at the Southern Conference Championships in Chattanooga, Tennessee on Saturday, Oct. 29.

HOW TO FOLLOW THE BEARS
For complete coverage of Mercer Cross Country, please visit the official home of Mercer Athletics at MercerBears.com.